Arkansas Manufacturing Showcase 2026

As manufacturers compete for skilled talent, registered apprenticeship offers another way to build the workforce they need from within. This session will provide an overview of the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund (AMAIF), a $35.8 million national initiative administered by Arkansas Workforce Connections to expand registered apprenticeship in advanced manufacturing.

Cody Waits, Executive Director of Arkansas Workforce Connections, will provide an overview of AMAIF and then lead a conversation with manufacturing representatives from Highland Pellets, FutureFuel, and Lexicon about their apprenticeship efforts. Panelists will share what workforce challenges led them to consider apprenticeship, why they chose this approach, what implementation has looked like, where partners have helped, and what they have learned along the way.

Attendees will hear directly from manufacturers putting apprenticeship to work and leave with a better understanding of how registered apprenticeship can fit into a broader workforce strategy.